Car-rental franchisee goes birther

(Huffington Post) Two women are saying that cars they rented from a Thrifty car rental franchise at the Buffalo, N.Y., airport had birther movement bumper stickers placed on them.

The two women, Barbara Wingate of San Diego and Stephanie DiBiase of Chicago, said bumper stickers that read “Vote for the American” were placed on the bumpers of cars they rented from the franchise. Wingate and DiBiase — both of whom provided photos of the bumper stickers — said they were told by employees that the stickers were placed there by the franchise owner.

The franchise is owned by Westover Car Rental, a subsidiary of Ellicott Development, a Buffalo holding company controlled by Carl Paladino, the Tea Party-affiliated businessman who lost the 2010 gubernatorial race to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).